Disgaea: The Warlocks
by Deltoran Merchant
Summary: Laharl gets to experience being on the bottom rung when a young warlock binds him as a slave. The warlock, Kurai, is as equally selfish and self-centered as Laharl, and has little respect for demons, or anyone besides warlocks for that matter. What'll they do? What adventures and hijinks will they get up to? Read and see.


**Disgaea:**

**The Warlocks**

**Chapter 1**

The thirteen year old boy knelt in the dungeon as he finished drawing out a chalk circle, with a number of runes decorating it. He would be considered odd looking to anyone who interrupted; bright, blood red hair spiking up and rather messy, with dark eyes and black lightning bolt tattoos on his pale cheeks.

The boy wore a dark blue shirt; open slightly to show-off his lean, muscled and well-toned torso, and black pants and boots with a blood-red belt. As he stood he grabbed a black, metal staff with a horned crown and red gem hovering between the horns. Although metal, it wasn't heavy due to the obvious magical quality. "Alright Kurai, time to do this," he said to himself. It wasn't a statement to assure himself, it was a statement expressing his full confidence.

Kurai pointed his staff at the circle and chanted an incantation in an ancient language. The circle glowed red like fire and energy gathered over its center. "Come demon of the Netherworld," Kurai said as he watched the burning circle do its work, his staff still pointed at it. "It is my right as a warlock to have a demon slave, and it _will _come to me."

The circle erupted into full flame and the shadowed figure of a demon appeared in its center. Kurai immediately deployed the binding mechanism of the circle causing black chains to materialize where the neck, arms and legs, though each circle of chains was not connected to the other physically. Then the flames erupted outwards and dissipated and left the summoned demon bound in the circle's center.

"What!?" Kurai cried in disbelief as he looked over the demon he'd summoned. What he'd summoned looked like nothing more than a ten or eleven year old boy. To begin with Kurai wondered if he'd messed something up, but the boy had red eyes and pointy ears, and Kurai could sense that he was indeed a demon. The boy's hair was blue and styled to look like antennae and he wore red denim shorts and a red scarf, but was bare-chested. "What kind of worthless demon are you? Some kind of incubus in training?"

"How dare you!? I am the Great Overlord Laharl... where the hell am I anyways?" the demon asked, looking around the dungeon.

"You're an Overlord?" Kurai asked in disbelief.

"Are you questioning my status? I should punish you." Laharl summoned a sword and swung it at Kurai, who didn't even bother trying to move. The strike abruptly stopped before it could touch the human boy; as though Laharl had become paralyzed. Furiously Laharl tried some sort of fire attack, only to have it fizzle out about half a foot from the warlock.

"You can't do anything to me, slave," Kurai said triumphantly and promptly struck Laharl across the face. He grinned savagely and held out his hand with his fingers bent in a claw shape. Kurai's hand shimmered with green energy and Laharl dropped to ground and screamed as pain wracked his youthful body, though caused no physical damage. Kurai watched the torture with a fierce pleasure, but at last stopped.

Laharl laid panting and gasping on the floor, looking surprised, angry, stunned and a whole other mixture of expressions. "How...?" he muttered after a time.

"You are my slave, and thus I have complete control of you, and I can exert that control if you disobey me," Kurai stated, "Now get to your feet."

Laharl did as told, looking somewhat broken, though an ever present gleam of defiance was in his red eyes. "What kind of human are you? You think like a demon, and yet you're not one."

"If you're obedient then perhaps I'll tell you." Kurai strode towards Laharl and gripped his chin in a firm grasp, forcing him to look him in the eyes. "Now listen to me demon. You belong to _me _now. You _will_ do as you're told, and you _will_ obey my every command. Is that understood?"

"Yes," Laharl spat after a time, only for Kurai to strike him in the face.

"Show proper respect, demon."

"I'm sorry, master, I understand master."

"Well done," Kurai said with his cocky, but dark smile. "Now come." With that the warlock and demon ascended the stairs out of the dungeon and into a dark forest bordering a graveyard. It was largely overgrown and abandoned and people from the nearby town made a point not to come near unless they had a plasma pistol. "Isn't this spot lovely?" Kurai asked aloud.

"I guess if you like creepy cemeteries over a well-furnished castle, master," Laharl replied sourly.

"I like both," Kurai replied. "What I really like though..." he said, trailing off as they came into the town and he rested his gaze on a well proportioned young women of about eighteen who was walking down the sidewalk with some friends. "Now those are some nice goods," he said with a grin and dashed over to the group. "Hey ladies," he said, his tone becoming flirty.

"Oh," one of them said, turning slightly red, a sight that made Kurai grin ever wider.

"Like what you see babe?" he asked, opening his shirt a bit more and flexing his abs. "Name's Kurai, what're yours?" he asked the four girls, all looking like the most handsome man in the world had just spoken to them, and Kurai knew why.

"I'm Alison, these are Jessica, Rebecca and Rachel," the girl who'd first talked to him said.

"Yes you are," Kurai said, pulling Alison into a deep, mouth-to-mouth kiss with himself, though the action was slightly forceful. "Oh yeah that was worth it," he muttered to himself as he broke away, leaving the girl slightly dazed at what had just happened. "So sexy, got somewhere private?"

"I um, my house I guess," the girl stuttered.

"Sounds fun, just one more thing," Kurai added, forcefully kissing the other two girls.

"Psst," Laharl said suddenly, looking away from the girls.

"One second ladies," Kurai said with a wink and wandered over to his demon slave, "What do you want demon?" he hissed angrily.

"I can't look at busty women," Laharl said simply, "Can we just go? Master."

"I suppose you are kind of cramping my style," Kurai said with annoyance, "But look at those melons, I hate passing up opportunities like this. But I guess my slave is more important than worthless normies."

"So sexy, want to find that private place?" Jessica asked, tracing a finger down his chest and getting as close to him as possible.

"Unfortunately ladies I have to go," Kurai said, with them groaning in disappointment. "Don't worry, we can try again another time. And in the meantime you won't really remember me."

"How could we forget someone as... gorgeously handsome as you?" Rebecca said.

"You will, trust me," Kurai said simply. 'Even if I won't be able to forget passing up three babes because my stupid slave gets freaked out by breasts,' he thought to himself bitterly. With that he bid farewell, though managed another kiss from each of them, and then with Laharl he dashed off through town, heading for the secret passage back to the castle.

"How the hell were you doing that?" Laharl asked, "Master."

"Pretty simple really," Kurai said, "Just a modified version of seduction spells used by succubi and incubi. It's permanent, makes us sexy and irresistible."

"Unless someone's strong willed," Laharl said, "Master."

"True, and there are other ways to see through the enchantment, but there's plenty who don't know them and plenty of fun for me," Kurai said. He had led them into an alley that was so out of the way that Laharl wouldn't have known it existed if he hadn't been following his new master. Kurai summoned his staff and tapped it against four small circles on the ground, arranged like corners of a square. The section between the points glowed a strange mix of green and purple energies. Not bright enough to attract attention, but bright enough to be seen.

"Is that a portal?" Laharl asked.

"Stupid demons are stupid," Kurai said with a shrug, not really answering his servant's question. "Just go through the thing." The two stepped into the square and they vanished, as well as the square.

Kurai had gotten used to the feeling of teleportation. It was like being thrust up through an elevator shaft at ultra-speed. It only lasted for a few seconds, but it was disorienting to those new to the experience. Luckily neither he nor his demon fell into that category. And when they emerged Laharl was genuinely taken aback by his surroundings.

They stood in a dead-end road that ran ahead of them and branched off to wind around city blocks. It was indeed a city they were in, a dark, foreboding city with industrial-gothic buildings, all tall and dark and made of metal and mortar. Smaller buildings had a more ramshackle appearance, but all of it was offset by the occasional eerie neon lighting, or perhaps helped by it. Most impressively, though Laharl didn't want to admit it, was the massive castle that floated overhead. It was black, and in the same style as the rest of the city, looking both futuristic and medieval. "Woah," he muttered in awe.

"Of course it would be impressive to your little mind," Kurai replied.

"Who's your agent, master?" Laharl asked.

"A sweet little she-ogre in the wastelands," replied Kurai nonchalantly.

"I want my castle to fly," said Laharl.

"My castle now, what was yours is now mine," said Kurai, "Don't happen to have any sexy servants do you?"

"No way! I don't keep anyone in my castle with large breasts or optimistic attitudes. And since when is _my_ castle yours?"

"Since I took you as my slave. Your servants, your property, all of it is mine now."

"You can't just claim the great Overlord Laharl's property. It's mine! The entire Netherworld belongs to me!"

"If true then that makes me the Supreme Overlord," Kurai stated simply.

"Don't be ridiculo- aggghhhh!" Laharl screamed as pain wracked his body yet again.

"I'm getting sick of your whining," said Kurai, his hand glowing green, "Your property is mine now."

"Never."

Kurai shrugged and continued the torture. "You know demon, this is a very easy spell, so I can keep going. It'll be easier for you to just admit that your property is mine, and remember to respect me properly."

"No way!" Laharl shouted, before screaming in pain as Kurai tortured him again.

"Seriously demon, you're wasting your time and mine. I can increase this spell's power you know, make it hurt even more," Kurai taunted, his hand beginning to glow even more intensely.

"Alright, alright!" Laharl cried hurriedly, currently on his knees, "The junior warlock Kurai is now the Supreme Overlord of the Netherworld, and has access to all my property, servants and belongings. Is that good enough master?"

It sounded like Laharl was really forcing himself to say that speech, but Kurai was satisfied. He just hoped Laharl truly was in the position he claimed, because if he was 'Then I'm now one very powerful warlock,' he thought devilishly. "Good boy," replied Kurai, patting Laharl's head, "See? Not so hard to concede to your superior."

"Piss off," Laharl pouted, "Master."

At the sight of Kurai's hand beginning to glow, Laharl quickly uttered an apology and fell into step behind his master as Kurai led the way through the streets of the warlock city, called Gomorrah. As they walked Kurai felt a sense of pride, greater than usual, at being able to flaunt a demon slave around. There were demons aplenty in the city too, from tiny imps, to monstrous goat-headed creatures, to the occasional succubus, the latter of which Laharl would quickly look away from. "Well look at this," said a woman in a black robe, accompanied by a floating eyeball-like demon, "Pervy little Kurai completed his first binding ritual."

Kurai had hit on this woman, named Andariel, in the past. She was only twenty-four, and as shapely as any warlock, but of course immune to the very charms that made them that way. Even still she liked him as much as any warlock 'liked' another, and had been his teacher once. "Yup, he's a little whiney, and extremely resistant to his situation. I'm starting to break him though."

"Don't talk about me like I'm not here!" yelled Laharl indignantly.

"Don't talk out of turn," Kurai replied nonchalantly, his hand glowing again and causing Laharl to yelp and drop to the ground in pain for a moment. "You see Mistress Andariel? He acts like he appears; a spoiled brat."

"I see it, but remember; the more resistant they are, the more powerful they usually are. It's the reason they resist. Why don't you take him to the training yard and find out what he can do?"

"Hm, good idea," replied Kurai. "It's not just your body, it's that sexy brain of yours too."

"You know Kurai one day I might lose patience with your flirting," Andariel threatened, "So watch your mouth."

"Yes ma'am," replied Kurai, suddenly humbled, "Come on Harlie, training yard."

"My name's Laharl!" the demon shouted angrily as Kurai began walking again.

"I don't care what your name is, just move!"

Laharl grumbled, but ran after his master anyways. Kurai was loving the feeling of having another creature so completely under his command. He could order this demon to do anything, and he'd do it. Not only that, but it proved he was a true warlock, which had been the whole point of binding one of the creatures anyways.

"Um… master," Laharl asked, still sounding like it hurt to say the word, "Why exactly do you want me as a vassal?"

"You're a demon, I'm a warlock, it's how the world works. You run around in your hovel of a dimension creating chaos and madness, we pull you out to serve a useful purpose. Like a toolbox."

"I'm not a tool! I'm the damn Overlord!" Laharl yelled, and receiving a zap from the torture spell as a response.

"Humans are greater than demons, so your rank in the Netherworld means nothing," replied Kurai, "And we warlocks are the greatest humans on the planet. Now get in here and let's see if you're worth your Overlord bragging."

Kurai directed Laharl into a large, stadium-like building with a front lobby whose lighting resembled a club or bar's. The walls were black marble and the carpet on the floor was blood red. Directly ahead of them were branching hallways that curved around to the left and right, while stairs to upper and lower levels were to their right as they entered. Immediately Kurai strode up to the front desk, where a woman dressed in black business attire sat, typing on a computer. "Oh hello Kurai," the woman behind the desk said, "I'm dressed conservatively today, so what do you want?"

"What most people come here for, demon training," Kurai replied, "I completed the first phase of my training, I bound a demon, and Mistress Andariel suggested I bring it here for training before presenting it to the Masters."

The woman, whose nameplate read Elvira Bludraven, looked at the two of them and her face actually lit up at the sight of Laharl. "Are you sure this little guy's a demon?" she asked "He's far too cute," she added pinching Laharl's cheeks.

"How dare you treat the Overlord in such a way!?" snapped Laharl.

"Aww, he's even cute when he's angry," Elvira said."

"He's definitely a demon," said Kurai, "Look, red eyes," he punctuated this point by pulling back Laharl's eyelids slighty with his finger and thumb, "Fangs," he added, opening Laharl's mouth to demonstrate the razor sharp, and rather large, canines in his mouth, "And I summoned and bound him with the summoning spells, so he's definitely a demon."

"Would you stop manhandling me!" yelled Laharl, before hurriedly adding "Master!"

"Where are his wings though," asked Elvira.

"Not all demons have wings," replied Kurai, "Now can we just use a training room for a little bit?"

"Oh, right yes," Elvira said, quickly entering something on her computer and passing him twisted black key, "Field Eight is available, enjoy. See you later little Laharl."

She winked at the demon as they walked off, leaving him looking flustered and Kurai looking annoyed. "Man what's her deal, I tell her she's got a great chest and I get slapped, and you yell at her and she falls all over you," muttered Kurai.

"What're you asking me for master? I don't know anything about humans, and sexy women make me sick," said Laharl.

"So _do_ you have wings?" asked Kurai.

"Yes!" the demon answered indignantly, "I just choose to keep them in hidden form. Master."

"So in other words they're tiny and there's no reason to summon them. Ah well, get in," Kurai replied, opening the door to the training room.

The two entered into a fairly large room that resembled a barren, volcanic wasteland. The walls and ceiling even seemed to vanish, looking like dark sulfurous clouds. "Now this is my kind of place," said Laharl, "Why can't it be real? And now I think about it why do you warlocks want us demons anyways? What's the point of having power and not using it?"

"Depending on how this goes for you it could be anything from world conquest to washing my underwear," replied Kurai.

The warlock grabbed a baseball-sized sphere of swirling dark energy from a dispenser beside the door. He hurled it to the ashen ground near Laharl and a group of five zombies, twisted rotting corpses, rose from the cloud of energy. They stood in front of the demon, staring at him and drooling bile. "What are these for?" asked Laharl.

"Training dummies, part one of training. I want to see how powerful you are, so attack them. There'll be ten waves of them, so just let loose and have fun. And if it helps, you can pretend they're me," explained Kurai, leaning against the wall.

"That does sound like fun," replied Laharl, summoning the same sword to his hand as earlier, a long broadsword with a gap down the center.

Almost casually Laharl swung the sword through the zombies; cutting them in half and making them dissipate into dark magic. The magic seeped into the ground and this time ten zombies rose up, which Laharl made equally short work of. Each wave increased the number of opponents by five, and each time Laharl had little trouble dispatching them. The tenth wave came, a total of fifty zombies, and Laharl cut through them with ease, dashing around the room and slicing them apart as he went, and finally returning to where he started with the entire group falling into magical dust. "Come on, give me something actually worth fighting," he complained.

"That was just to make sure you're at least capable," said Kurai, "I'm pleased to see that you are."

"Of course I am! What did you expect from the great Overlord Laharl!?"

"What did I expect from the demon who looks like a kid I had scrub my boots and who's afraid of breasts?" Kurai asked sarcastically.

"Hey! We demons age slower than you humans," Laharl replied huffily.

"Either way let's hope you continue to be as good at fighting as you are at annoying me," said Kurai as he grabbed another orb.

The young warlock smashed the orb, this one green in colour, into the ground and immediately a group of five hulking green humanoids appeared. Each one stood about seven feet tall and was thickly bound with muscle, over which they wore leather armour and they carried a shield and axe. "What're these?" Laharl asked.

"Orcs, do they not have orcs in the Netherworld?" asked Kurai.

"If they were there then I wouldn't have to ask what they are," Laharl replied.

"You're a stupid demon, you wouldn't know a robot part from a pudding," countered Kurai, "And if I were you I'd be more concerned about them than arguing with me."

Laharl whirled around to block an axe blow with his sword, and proceeded to shove the orc away and countered with his sword, thrusting it deep into the orc's body. It collapsed into dust and Laharl quickly whirled around and, his sword suddenly blazing, leapt at the remaining orcs and felled two in one slice. The remaining two roared and charged, with the demon boy easily dodging around their axe slices and smashing their shields with his flaming sword; 'killing' them as well. "Alright that's a little better," said Laharl.

"You're not done yet," Kurai said as ten orcs appeared, all with similar weapons and armour.

Even with the increased numbers Laharl fought skillfully, using sword and sorcery to equal effect. This repeated through the waves, even when the number of orcs reached a dangerous fifty. Kurai was pleased to see his servant was able to wield his sword with expertise matching the greatest warrior, and Laharl manipulated fire like a toy. It may not have been quite as simple as before, but Laharl still managed to fell the entire squad of fifty orcs, he took a few blows, but he still fared phenomenally better than any human warrior.

"Now _that_ is a workout almost worthy of an Overlord," said Laharl, stretching as the last orc fell to dust. "Why do the creatures have to be fakes though?"

"Because it costs more to have real orcs and zombies," explained Kurai simply.

"So master, are we done?"

"No, but you've proven yourself able to handle plenty so I think I'm going to jump it up a few notches."

Kurai cycled through a few orbs in the dispenser until he found the one he wanted; one that swirled with black and red clouds. When he smashed this one the clouds poured out and coalesced into a twelve foot monster of a creature, with a head like a goat's skull with canine teeth and a pair of curling black ram's horns, jutting out from slightly hunched, but massive shoulders, part of a muscle bound humanoid body with red skin and black bony spikes along its arms, the same colour as its horns. Its legs were more like those of a goat's, complete with cloven hooves, and a pair of giant, bat-like wings protruded from its back. It wore a black breastplate and spiked pauldrons and wielded a flaming whip and a cruel looking black sword, while flames flickered from its body and a cloud of darkness seemed to gather around it.

"Woah… a balor," Laharl muttered with awe, "I want one!"

"Pretty pathetic Overlord if you don't have a couple balors as bodyguards," retorted Kurai, "But he's a puppet like the rest, and you get to fight him."

Laharl didn't have time to fire a retort as the balor brought its flaming whip swinging towards him. He jumped aside just as it smashed the ground where he'd been standing, making a sharp CRACK like a firework, and leaving the ground where it had struck smoldering and scorched. When the smaller demon dashed forwards to attack, his sword was met with the balor's own black one and the two struggled with their blades for a moment, sparks flying before Laharl found himself thrown back. He cried out in surprise and pain as the flaming whip coiled around his leg and he was pulled from the ground in its grasp and slammed down with full force.

"Ow," Laharl rasped, his body wracked with pain and the wind knocked out of him.

"Don't feel bad shrimp," said Kurai, casually inspecting his staff, "Balors are tough, I doubt you can handle it."

As he spoke the larger demon brought its flaming whip lashing down on Laharl's bare back, causing him to almost cry out in pain again. It happened again and again, and each time he had to hold his tongue; he wasn't a wuss after all, he wouldn't let anyone know he was in pain, especially his new master. 'It's not as bad as that torture spell anyways,' thought Laharl as the whip came down on him again.

At last the smaller demon summoned the strength to roll aside from the whip strike. He got to his feet quickly, trying to ignore the pain in his back. With sword flaming he charged at the balor again and has his blade stopped again by its own. This time however he poured extra power into it, causing the sword to flare brighter and he pulled back for just a second, only to bring his sword smashing through the balor's a second later and causing it to recoil slightly with a roar.

That didn't stop its whip though, and Laharl had to quickly dodge several whip lashes, and only barely managed it. The whip stopped and he was readying another attack when he spotted the balor's free hand was flaring with flames and darkness, and a second later the entire room seemed be engulfed in torrents of fire, with pillars of flame shooting up from the ground, while fire flickered in a circle around it, and Laharl was right in the middle of it.

For a moment the child-like demon felt the flames burning his skin and scorching him. He still refused to let this monster get the better of him though, and so he gritted his teeth against the scorching pain and jumped out of the fire storm. He landed near the wall, which was just out of range of the attack, and waited for it to subside.

Then it did and the balor looked around, not sure if it had incinerated its target or not. "You call that magic?" Laharl asked, "I'll show you magic!"

With that taunt Laharl raised his hands and above him appeared a massive fireball. From Kurai's point of view the two of them appeared to fade slightly, but he could still see Laharl's attack, while the balor seemed to be frozen in place. Then the smaller demon jumped up as the fireball fully materialized as a trio of meteors, which he kicked at the balor. They hurtled across the room and smashed into the large demon, exploding in a spectacular display of fire, and when Laharl landed the fire faded enough to show the balor collapsing into dust.

"Woah," muttered Kurai with awe.

"And _that's_ why I'm the Overlord," said Laharl proudly, "I am the Great and Powerful Overlord Laharl! Ahahahaha!"

"To think I have such power under my control now," said Kurai thoughtfully, "Even if you're as intimidating as bunny slippers."

"What's that supposed to mean!?" yelled Laharl.

"It means that summoning meteors doesn't stop you from looking like a nine year old," replied Kurai, "And guess what? You forgot to call me master."

Laharl yelped as Kurai cast the torture spell again. "Alright, alright, I'm sorry master! The Great and Powerful Overlord Laharl is yours to command," the demon shouted hurriedly.

"Good boy," said Kurai condescendingly, patting Laharl on the head like a dog.

"Where are we going now, master?" asked Laharl as they stepped out of the training room.

"My place. I don't report my progress for another couple hours, so I'm just going home. And you're coming of course."

"As you wish, master," grumbled Laharl as they left the center and set off across the city.


End file.
